Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12044462-B2
Application number	US-202217737110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2022
Priority date	Nov 8, 2019
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

A refrigerator including an inner door rotatably coupleable to a cabinet to open and close a storage compartment, the inner door having an opening, an outer door rotatably coupleable to the front of the inner door to open and close the opening of the inner door, a hook locking groove formed on the inner door, a manipulation handle provided to be rotatable with respect to a transverse shaft coupleable to the outer door and including a movable contact part, and a locking member provided to be rotatable with respect to a longitudinal shaft coupled to the outer door, wherein the locking member includes a hook lockable to and unlockable from the hook locking groove, and a passive contact part to selectively contact with the movable contact part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet having a storage compartment;
an inner door rotatably coupleable to the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment, the inner door having an opening;
an outer door rotatably coupleable to a front of the inner door to open and close the opening of the inner door;
a hook locking groove formed on the inner door;
a manipulation handle provided to be rotatable with respect to a transverse shaft coupleable to the outer door and comprising a movable contact part; and
a locking member provided to be rotatable with respect to a longitudinal shaft coupleable to the outer door, wherein the locking member comprises a hook lockable to and unlockable from the hook locking groove, and a passive contact part to selectively contact with the movable contact part,
wherein the movable contact part rotates forward and rearward of the storage compartment with respect to the transverse shaft, and the passive contact part rotates forward and rearward of the storage compartment with respect to the longitudinal shaft.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein
the passive contact part is provided not to interfere with the movable contact part while the hook rotates along a direction in which the hook is released from the hook locking groove in a state in which the movable contact part and the passive contact part are spaced apart from each other.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein
the movable contact part comprises a fence having an inner surface that is spaced apart from the passive contact part by a predetermined distance and formed to surround a circumference of the passive contact part, and
an open cutout portion is provided on one side of the fence to prevent interference upon relative rotation of the passive contact part and the movable contact part.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein
a buffer member is coupleable to the inner surface of the fence.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein
at least one of the movable contact part and the passive contact part is provided with a buffer member.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein
the passive contact part comprises a first arm formed to extend from the longitudinal shaft toward an upper portion of the movable contact part, and a second arm formed to extend from the first arm toward an inside of the fence.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein
the open cutout portion is provided to have a width allowing the second arm to pass therethrough.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein
the manipulation handle comprises a lever formed to extend to a lower portion of the transverse shaft, and the movable contact part is formed to extend to an upper portion of the transverse shaft from a position adjacent to an end of the transverse shaft.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising
a hook elastic member to provide an elastic force along a direction in which the hook is locked in the hook locking groove.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , further comprising
a handle elastic member to provide an elastic force for rotating the transverse shaft so that the manipulation handle returns to an original position after rotation.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , further comprising
a hook housing formed to be embedded inside the outer door to receive a portion of the hook,
wherein the handle elastic member comprises a torsion spring coupleable to the transverse shaft and having opposite ends supported on the outer door and the manipulation handle, respectively, and the hook elastic member comprises a torsion spring coupleable to the longitudinal shaft and having opposite ends supported on the longitudinal shaft and the hook housing, respectively.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein
the hook comprises a body part having a coupling part coupleable to the longitudinal shaft at a lower end and a spring mounting part to which the hook elastic member is coupleable at an upper end, and a hook part formed to extend along a direction of crossing the longitudinal shaft from an outer surface of the body part.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , further comprising
a stopper formed to protrude from an outer surface of the body part to prevent the hook from rotating more than a predetermined angle,
wherein the stopper is provided with a buffer member.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising
a shaft housing formed to be embedded inside the outer door to surround the longitudinal shaft so as to rotatably support the longitudinal shaft.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ham Hyungkwen
• Lim Hyeonkyu
• Park Hyunuk

Classifications

• F25D2323/023

  Door in door constructions · CPC title

• F25D23/04

  with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners · CPC title

• F25D23/025

  Secondary closures · CPC title

• E05Y2900/31

  for refrigerators · CPC title

• E05C3/162

  the handle or member moving essentially towards or away of the plane of the wing or frame (E05C3/167 takes precedence) · CPC title